Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 March 2023
245. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the Tusla supports and safeguards in place for people who find themselves in a situation where their parental status is in doubt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15713/23]
View answerIn January 2022, the Government agreed that issues relating to international surrogacy required further detailed consideration and agreed to the establishment of a Special Joint Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy.
Following the publication of the Final Report of the Committee in July 2022, officials from my Department joined colleagues from the Department of Health and Department of Justice to form an Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) to analyse the report and make legislative proposals.
Based on the work of this Group, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Justice and myself agreed draft policy and legislative proposals in respect of both the regulation of international surrogacy and the recognition of past surrogacy arrangements (domestic and international). These proposals were brought to Government and approved in December 2022. Their aim is to establish a legal process to allow for the recognition of parentage in future international surrogacy arrangements and a legal process to enable recognition of parentage in respect of surrogacy arrangements – both domestic and international – undertaken prior to the commencement of the new law.
The Minister for Health is the lead Minister in respect of development of the legislation. I understand that it is his intention to bring the proposals as amendments to the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill at Committee Stage in the Dáil. The formal drafting process in respect of those amendments is well underway by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, in conjunction with the three Departments.
